Grave-vault mold.



w. DBNNs;

GRAVE VAULT MOLD.

APPLIOATIDN FILED APlLZ, 1910.

979,062, l Patented Dec .2o,191o.

l I P l I d l vor; 62:17:? t Attorneys W. DENNIS.

GRAVE IVAULT MOLD. A'PPLIOATION Hmm A PB. 2, 19m.

Patenea Dec.207,1910.

Inverqicorl Attorneys WILLIANE DENNIS, OF PEN ATENT UFFM).

ARGYL, PENNSYLVANIA.

GRAVE-VAULT MOLD.

To all who/m it may concern:

Be it known that I, lViLLmM DENNIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pen Argyl, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Grave-Vault Mold, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted to be employed for molding plastic materials into the form of a vault, of the character within which coflins are commonly inclosed.

lt is the object of this invention to provide a mold of this character which may readily be separated or knocked down, without marring or otherwise injuring the vault which has been fashioned in the mold.

Another object of the invention is to provide a core of novel and improved form; to provide an outer shell or casing within which the core is adapted to be inclosed; -to provide novel means for molding the lid of the vault; to provide novel means for positioning reinforcing elements in the mold, so that they may properly enter intothe nished structure; and to provide novel means for removably connecting the several component parts of the mold so that they may readily be separated at will.

In the drawings ,-Figure 1 is a top plan, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section; Fig. A is a detail perspective of one of the end walls of the outer shell; Fig. 5 is a perspective showing a portion of the core; Fig. 6 is a perspective showing one of the constituent parts of the side walls of the core; Fig. 7 is a perspective showing one of the elements which go to make up the lid of the core; and to delineate the manner in which said element is connected with a similar, diagonally disposed one; Fig. S is a transverse section of the lid of the core; Fig. 9 is a perspective of one of the bars whereby the outer shell and the core are lifted from the bottom of the mold; and Fig. 10 is a transverse section showing the completed vault which the mold herein described is adapted to produce.

The invention includes an outer case, the same comprising a base including transverse sills 1, to which the bottom 2 is attached. Secured to the bottom 2, about the periphery thereof, is a frame 3. An outer shell rests upon the bottom 2 to complete the case.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2, 1910.

' exterior faces of these braces.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

serial No. 553,022.

The side walls 4 of this shell are provided upon their exterior with upright posts 5, these posts being notched as shown at 6, to fit upon and extend within the frame 3. Side strips 7 extend along the upper edges of the side walls A upon their exterior, and the ends of these side strips 7 are connected by bolts 100 or the like, to the extremities of the braces 8, the braces 8 serving to maintain the side walls at a fixed distance apart. Upon the inner faces of the side walls 1 of the shell, adjacent their ends, are upright cleats 9, against which the end walls 10 of the shell are adapted to abut. Upon the outer faces of the end walls 10, are supports 11, which, at their ends, are notched, as shown at 12, to engage the end portions of the frame 3.

It is to be noted that adjacent the bottom 2, the side walls et and the end walls 10 of the outer shell are offset, as denoted by the numeral 14. At its bottom, theend wall 10 is provided with outstanding shoulders 15, and the shoulders are adapted to fit in the offset portions 14 of the side walls 4.

Upon the bottom 2 there is a frame 16. This frame 10 is adapted to fit within, and to retain in place, a box-like, closed-top core. The side walls of this core are fashioned in two sections 17, the abutting edges of which are beveled as denoted by the numeral 18. Upright cleats 19 are mounted upon the portions 17 adjacent the beveled edges 18 thereof, and these cleats 19 are preferably connected by bolts 101, to hold the sections 17 in place to fashion the sides of the core. A tie Q0 may be provided, having its ends removably secured to the cleats 19, by means of bolts 102, the tie extending transversely of the core, to prevent the sides of the core from spreading apart.

Upon the inner faces of the portions 17, adjacent their ends, are upright braces 21. The end walls 22 of the core fit against the By means of bolts 103, a cleat 23 is united with the end wall 22, the cleat bearing against the inner faces of the upright braces 21.

A lid 24 rests upon the core. This lid i4 comprises, preferably, four sections Q5, the edges of which are beveled, as at 26, so that the sections may be readily separated when desired. Bolts 50 are extended downwardly through the remote ends of the sections 25 at one end of the lid, and these bolts are CFT adapted to engage a notched button or securing device. seen 111oz-t clearljY in Fig. t1', thus holding together those sections which go to inake up one end of the lid. Transverse cleats '2S upon the inner edges of diagonallj7 disposed sections 25 overlap each other at their inner ends, as seen to best advantage in Fig. T. These cleats are secured together bv nieans of boltsI lOl. ythere are transverse c1 annels QS) in the upper faces of the sections which forni the lid These channels 2S) are adapted to receive cross strips P30, cross strips protriuling beyond the upper face of the lid 2st. The cross strips 111:117 be fashioned frein channel 111en1- bers. as shown.

1V hen the core, with its lid Q4 in place, is niountcd within the outer case, a box-like crate Ill, pr-eferabljT fashioned frein. strap inetal and constituting a reinforcing elelnent5 is inverted over the core, and lnade to rest upon the channel irons 30, as seen inost clearly in Fig.

Bars 32 are disposed transvcrselj7 upon the bottoni 2, which is channeled to receive them, the franie (5 being cut awaj7 for their reception. These bars 32 terniinate in hooks 83, which are lo'ated upon the outside of the side walls l of the shell. Upon the bottoni l, and located between the core and the outer walls of the outer case, is an upstanding bead 341-. This bead 3l is preferably triangular in shape, and there are projections 35 upon the bars 3Q, adapted to forni a continuation of the bead 35. By referring to Fig. it will be seen that hooks 3?) are adapted to abut against the traine 3. r1`his abutment between the hooks 33 and the fralne 3 serves 'to aline the projections with the bead 3ft.

11 flat top 3G is adapted to rest upon the side strips 7. Secured to the upper face of the top 2%(3 is a frame 37. The internal dimensions of this fraine 37 are the saine as the external diinensions of the core. A removable franie 38 is adapted to be fitted around the fralne ST, to upstand above the saine, and at the upper edge of the franie 3S there is a finishing strip 89. A fiat reinforcing` 'traine 40 is adapted to be disposed within the removable frainc 3S. ln this reinforcing fraine al() which is preferabljT fashioned frein strap nietal, there are four or incre eve-bolts denoted by the nuineral 4l. These eye-bolts are extended through the fraine et() and rest at their lower ends, upon the top 3G, thus maintaining the reinforcing fraine apart froin said top. Turn buckles 4Q are removablyv secured at their ends to the ends of the side strips 7, and brackets 43, outstanding fron'i the side strips 7, serve to dispose the turn buckles 4Q that an effective truss may be forined. The tightening eleinents of the turn buckle structures operate between the brackets 4.3. and thus the turn buckles are inade to exert an even reinforcing effect upon the outer shell of the structure,

The operation of the device as follows The bottoni is properly positioned, and the bars 32 arel n1ounted in place transversely of the salne, the projections upon the bars 32 being properly alined with the bead 341. The end walls l() of the outer shell are then mounted in place. The side wall forming portions l?" of the core having been connected with the end walls Q2 thereof, the core is inountcd in place within the outer shell, to surround the frame 16. rlhe several constituent portions of the lid of the core having been assembled, the lid is niounted in place upon the side walls 17 and the end walls 22 of the core, to close the upper por tion thereof. The channel irons 30 are then inounted in place within the channels 2t) and the reinforcing elenient 3l inverted over the core, and inade to rest upon the channel irons 80. The concrete may then be shoveled in place between the core and the outer shell and tainped down between the shell and the core, the concrete being spread over the top of the core. lt is not necessaryv to trowel olf the top of this niass of ceinent. A straight edge may nierelj7 be slid along the upper edges of the side wallsl fl of the shell, thus leveling off the top of the inass of concrete. The top 313 is then rested upon the side strips 7. The reniovable traine 3S is then seated in place upon the fixed frame 37, thel flat reinforcing fraine l() being located within the removable franie 38, the eye-bolts 411 cngaging the top 36 and serving to space the reinforcing franie 40 away frein the top. Concrete may then be placed within the fraine 3S and struck oftl with a straight edge.

In Fig. lO of the drawings, the conipleted vault -z-'tel is shown. .lt will be seen. that the core and the outer shell forni the bodv portion of the vault, while the lid -15 thereof has been fashioned within the franie 3S upon the top 3G. The bead Se results in the formation of a groove 1(3 in the upper edge of the body of the vault. This groove is adapted to receive ccincnt or the like, so that the lid of the vault inav be herineticallj7 sealed. rthat portion of the concrete which is tainped in place within the lined fraine 20. results in an extension L19 upon the lower face of the lid 413, adapted to register closely within the body of the vault, to hold the lid da iu place against sliding about. The offsets llin the inold give rise to a rib 4T outstanding` troni the body of the vault adjacent its top. The finishing strip 89 gives to the lid the molding` denoted bv the nuineral 11S.

lt will he seen that the reinforcing crate 3l becoines securelj7 embedded in the body of the vault 44, the flat reinforcing fraine 4:0 being embedded in the lid 4-5, the eyebolts al outstanding above the upper surface of the lid, to provide a means for raising and lowering the lid. rIhe channel irons 8O will be embedded in the bottom of the vault, to upstand slightly above the same. By this construction, the cofn will be spaced slightly apart from the bottom of the vault, and the straps whereby the coffin is lowered into place, may be readily withdrawn, without being pinched against the bottom of the vault byV the weight of the coiiin.

After the body of the vault 44 has set sufficiently, a lifting device of any sort may be connected with the hooks at the ends of the bars 32. Thus, the entire concrete structure may be lifted off the bottom 1 and raised to any desired height in the air; then, if the concrete has set sufliciently, by removing the several bolts 100, 101, 102, 103 and 104, the core and the lid thereof may be taken apart and removed from the interior of the completed vault, thus allowing the saine to become thoroughly dried, and permitting not only the core, but the surrounding shell as well, to be removed, for use in fashioning another vault.

The turn buckles 42 serve to strengthen the mold against bulging, without interfering in any way with the passage of a straight edge along the side strips T.

The device is so constructed that the vault may be fashioned upside down, and thus, the core may be mounted in place within the outer shell before the concrete is placed in position. Thus there is no interruption in placing the concrete, the operation being carried steadily forward until the entire core is covered and surrounded. By this construction, plastic concrete does not have to be united with concrete which has already taken an initial set.

Any of the common materials of construction may be employed for fashioning the mold. Zhen a light inexpensive structure is desired, wood may be employed; or the device may be fashioned in cast iron, in those cases where durability and not portability, is desired.

Having described the invention what is claimed is I- l. In a device of the class described, a bottom; an outer shell resting upon the bottom; bars extended transversely of the botton between the` bottom and the shell and provided uponV the outside of the shell, with upstanding means for engaging a lifting device; a core resting upon the bottom within the shell; a bead upstanding from the bottom between the core and the shell, there being projections upon' the bars forming continuations of the bead; and a frame secured to the bottom and constituting an abutment for said means to aline the projections and the bead.

2. In a device of the class described, a core consisting of collapsible side walls; a lid resting upon the side walls and consisting of a plurality of sections; overlapping cleats secured to the adjacent edges of diagonally disposed sections, transversely of the lid; retaining elements removably connecting the cleats; retaining elements extending through the outer ends of adjacent sections at the ends of the lid; and a securing device connecting the last named retaining eleinents to hold together those sections through which the last named retaining elements extend.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVM. DENNIS.

lVitnesses J. S. VANCE, J. B. QUiLLIN. 

